Brown has played in 12 games with the Maple Leafs this year, picking up a single assist, but his ice-time and importance to the team had diminished sharply with the ascension of fellow tough guys Colton Orr and Frazer McLaren. After averaging more than 9:00 per game in 2011-12, he was down to 4:39 this season, and often spent time in the pressbox. So why are the Oilers interested in a player the Maple Leafs have identified as a spare part?

Pugilism

Brown is likely best known for his physical play - both fighting and hitting. He's had 15 fights since the start of 2011-12 season and hits everything that moves. His size isn't ideal to the role - Brown is listed at 5'11", 212 pounds - but he's very willing and judging by his fight card has had some success against bigger players in the past.

But can he do more than fight?

Can He Play?

The answer to this question is a qualified yes.

The big caveat is that Brown will not score; he's averaged roughly one point for every 10 games over his major-league career, and his career high in NHL points is eight. His career high in the AHL is 15 points, a total he achieved over 78 contests as a rookie professional.

On the other hand, Brown isn't a total liability as a defensive forward. His diminished role this year means he hasn't seen much time on the penalty kill, but NHL coaches in his recent past have used him there - he saw some time in 2011-12, and averaged a career-high 1:35 while shorthanded in 2010-11. It's probably worth noting that the penalty kills he has spent a lot of time on have typically been pretty bad; in significant minutes in 2009-10 with Anaheim and 2010-11 in Toronto, neither club managed to crack the 80% mark in terms of success killing off power plays.

Brown also saw some success in 2011-12 on a checking line, playing mostly with Dave Steckel - despite a fairly heavy ratio of defensive zone starts, the line came close to holding its own in terms of shots for and against with Brown on the ice. Unfortunately, that's as good as it gets for Brown - in previous years, his line has been lit up despite offensive zone shifts in Anaheim and in defensive zone work in Toronto.

Is it a good move?

There are positives. Brown is likely more capable of playing a regular shift on the fourth line than his predecessor, Darcy Hordichuk, and he will add an edge to whichever line he finds himself on. A fourth-round draft pick is a pretty small price to pay, particularly since it isn't until 2014.

With a logjam of wingers already in the system, this will force the Oilers to move another player off the roster. Maybe that player is Lennart Petrell - a bigger forward who is better defensively and roughly equivalent offensively, but who doesn't fight. Maybe that forward is Magnus Paajarvi or Teemu Hartikainen, in which case the Oilers are sacrificing ability in order to bring in a fighter. Certainly one hopes that head coach Ralph Krueger was on-board with the move, given that his unwillingness to play a part-time guy in Hordichuk ultimately resulted in the veteran getting consigned to the minors.

Ultimately, how Brown responds to the chance to play will determine whether this was a solid move for the Oilers or not. He will upgrade the team's toughness on its bottom lines, but in terms of out-playing the opposition this looks like at best a 'treading water' move.

Jonathan Willis is a freelance writer.
He currently works for Oilers Nation, Sportsnet, the Edmonton Journal and Bleacher Report.
He's co-written three books and worked for myriad websites, including Grantland, ESPN, The Score, and Hockey Prospectus. He was previously the founder and managing editor of Copper & Blue.

Rama Lama you don't see the value in anything. It is obvious with every post you put on this website that you know nothing about the dynamics of hockey, the dressing room, role players - I would say hockey in general other than being able to turn on your tv to the channel that has the game on. Then you bitch and complain on here like you're some kind of expert. I used to be annoyed when I read your dribble now I just have to laugh at you...if I didn't know any better I would swear you and DAF or DSF whatever his handle is were paid to be on here to stoke the flames of controversy with you asinine comments.

Well I'm all ears for your " genius expert opinion" , on this matter. What have you to say on this matter your excellency?

I have some friends that played in the WHL that are tough as nails. They were pretty dirty players, and annoying to play against. I would not want them on my NHL team. They lack talent. Brown and Fistric lack talent. Sure we will see a good fight, or a big hit. But we will lose games because of them, because there are better players that could be taking their spots.

But every person gets their own satisfaction from hockey. Me, I don`t care how boring or exciting, I just want to win games.

I assume people like you want more entertainment. So if employing people who are less talented at hockey, at contributing to wins, you`re okay with that. You are willing to pay for a couple fights, and more hits, and the expense of a couple wins.

It`s not that my utility is better than yours, we both just have different goals to what we want from our hockey team.

WHL tough guy and a NHL tough guy are two different beasts. To get to the show you need more talent then your average WHL goon.

When your a soft team to play against you will lose far more often then you will win. A mixture of skill and toughness and energy will allow you to compete every game.

Energy - The strength and vitality required for sustained physical or mental activity.

With an energy shift, ideally, your forwards will be in the O-zone banging bodies, kicking pucks loose, banging more bodies, driving hard to the net and occasionally scoring the prototypical "garbage goal."

It's not pretty ala Gretz, but it works. That's why you also have a 1st and a 2nd line called "scoring lines." The hope would be to sprinkle a little energy/toughness within those lines. Bertuzzi, Neely, Clowe, etc. SKilled men who compete with that energy.

By also doing this (hitting/energy) it wears down the opponents D-men. And, when your tired you make mistakes.

We do differ on what we want to see the Oilers to become. I want a winner, not just a side-show as you accuse me off. Yes, if they had Gladiators hacking themselves apart today I would watch. But, that doesn't change the fact that a soft, passive team is going to win more than a hard as nails team. This is were we disagree on the definition of a "winner." Hitting is part of hockey. Winning battles is part of hockey. And you need the right personnel to do these things or your current group to step up in that respect.

Well that`s good. It`s nice to have people give 100% effort to the team.

I don`t think anyone questions that though. Where the dislike of this deal comes from is his hockey ability. It`s just that him trying at 100% isn`t good enough to be NHL replacement level.

We can having exciting guys, that entertain fans, or we can have guys that help win games. I would think the key to building a winning team is having guys who help win games. (If they can be entertaining, and show great attitudes, even better, but they need to be NHL replacement level)

His ability to play physical and hard every shift could open up more space and could wear down the opponents faster. Making it easier for our top guys to do their thing. Would that not be him helping the team win games?

The number of goals, assists, does not a winning hockey team make - it is the chemistry of personalities in the room that ultimately determines success ie the dressing room. Role players are the other ingredients aside from skill players that you need in a room in for success. You can't win with a team full of Gretzky's...

Actually, the winner at the end of the hockey game is ultimately determined by the team scoring the most goals. A team that wins that hockey game by scoring the most goals is therefore a "winning hockey team." Meanwhile, "chemistry of personalities" is one of those imaginary intangibles that luckily enough for its believers manages to escape any burden of proof of existence at all.

"You can't win with a team full of Gretzky's..."

Yeah, I suppose you would need a goaltender, but I bet that goalie wouldn't have to be very good for the team to win.

The number of goals, assists, does not a winning hockey team make - it is the chemistry of personalities in the room that ultimately determines success ie the dressing room. Role players are the other ingredients aside from skill players that you need in a room in for success. You can't win with a team full of Gretzky's...

Actually, the winner at the end of the hockey game is ultimately determined by the team scoring the most goals. A team that wins that hockey game by scoring the most goals is therefore a "winning hockey team." Meanwhile, "chemistry of personalities" is one of those imaginary intangibles that luckily enough for its believers manages to escape any burden of proof of existence at all.

"You can't win with a team full of Gretzky's..."

Yeah, I suppose you would need a goaltender, but I bet that goalie wouldn't have to be very good for the team to win.

Not so sure man, Team full of Gretzky's might not be so great against a team full of Hartnells. It would look like friggin football out there with all the hits. Could you imagine a team full of Dustin Brown's.

I thought that Whitney looked pretty decent last night. Now whether that was because the whole team had slowed down to his pace or not I don't know. One thing I did notice is Peckham passing the puck right on guys sticks. Very surprising and if he keeps it up maybe there is a place for him on this team.

Yea I have to agree with your assessment on Peckham and Whitney. TP is playing a simpler game and deserves a chance to show his game.

I know that Krueger is big on " offseason training and body fat", but sometimes these metrics are over rated. Imagine telling big Byfuglien he cannot play due to his total body fat??

Some guys carry more body fat then others but this should not be the sole judge of a player's ability to help his team. Last time I checked Fistric does not look like a chiseled body builder...........but he is very effective in his role.

Yea I have to agree with your assessment on Peckham and Whitney. TP is playing a simpler game and deserves a chance to show his game.

I know that Krueger is big on " offseason training and body fat", but sometimes these metrics are over rated. Imagine telling big Byfuglien he cannot play due to his total body fat??

Some guys carry more body fat then others but this should not be the sole judge of a player's ability to help his team. Last time I checked Fistric does not look like a chiseled body builder...........but he is very effective in his role.

Go Theo!

There was a story a while back talking about guys that are all chiseled, more directed towards MMA fighters but I think it would hold true for most sports, and occurrence of injuries. Basically guys that are chiseled are more susceptible to injuries because they are constantly pushing their bodies too hard. Then you have a guys like Roy Nelson who has never been injured.

I dont care what a guy looks like, I only care what he does on the ice. The same crap was said about Kadri before the season and he is having a really good season. Means nothing.

I agree with you that pure goon on goon fights do little if anything. I was merely pointing out that a fourth round pick for this guy, especially before he plays a single game with Edmonton, is not enough reason to ask for Tambi's head. In fact, I think the guy is doing what he can to improve the team without screwing it up too much.

I would imagine most GM's are trying to do the same, tinker but not tear apart. I for one am going to give this guy a shot and see if it helps. In my mind, it can't really hurt. Because even if we did manage to find that sleeper in the fourth round, well that guy is likely years away from becoming the superstar, and by then our roster of superstars will be going full boar anyway.

Am inclined to agree and if there is a Superstar sleeper pick just take him in the 3rd round.

Am inclined to agree and if there is a Superstar sleeper pick just take him in the 3rd round.

I think that we traded our third round pick.......Fistric?? I would not worry about our picks beyond the second.........we have no track record to speak of guys drafted in the third rounds and later...........at least not like Detroit.

Yeah, fair enough. Except the thing is, this is just making a move to make a move, so it`s not doing anything to improve the team. Not like a 3rd or 4th round pick means a lot, but these are also assets that we could have used in a package for a trade that actually mattered. I wouldn`t ask for Tambo`s head because of this trade, but because of a string of moves made over the past couple years. The only positive move I can think of attributable to him, was claiming Jones off waivers.

Trading for a goon is not a good move, or something to get excited about. It`s pretty useless as this guy will play 8 minutes a night if he`s lucky. There are lots of 3rd and 4th liners in the NHL that can actually play hockey. The question is why we are not trading for these guys with our 3rd and 4th round picks.

As a leaf fan, this is a loss for Toronto but a huge win for the Oilers. All the young talent now have tough guy who can skate and keep up with all that young talent. Huge win for Mike Brown and the Oilers. Just what you needed.

I am a closet Oiler fan (thanks to Oil Change) and if this team can stay together, another Dynasty is in the making.

Mike Brown, you deserved this trade and I am confident it is going to send your game to new heights. Congrats!

I mean, pretty arbitrary, but I'm sure you could go through every team in the league and pick out 3 or 4 players on bottom 6 that would likely be an improvement over Mike Brown.

What's more interesting is players that were placed on waivers this year that would be an improvement over Brown, or veterans in the AHL that would be an improvment over Brown. If all we can say that Brown is an improvement over Hordichuk, it means nothing, since Hordichuk isn't even in the NHL anymore.

I mean, pretty arbitrary, but I'm sure you could go through every team in the league and pick out 3 or 4 players on bottom 6 that would likely be an improvement over Mike Brown.

What's more interesting is players that were placed on waivers this year that would be an improvement over Brown, or veterans in the AHL that would be an improvment over Brown. If all we can say that Brown is an improvement over Hordichuk, it means nothing, since Hordichuk isn't even in the NHL anymore.

What a load of bull.

Seriosly the man is a useful peice and one that the team desperately needs at the moment.

I mean, pretty arbitrary, but I'm sure you could go through every team in the league and pick out 3 or 4 players on bottom 6 that would likely be an improvement over Mike Brown.

What's more interesting is players that were placed on waivers this year that would be an improvement over Brown, or veterans in the AHL that would be an improvment over Brown. If all we can say that Brown is an improvement over Hordichuk, it means nothing, since Hordichuk isn't even in the NHL anymore.

I can't believe that people think giving up a 4th rounder is the end of the world. If that player drafted ever makes it to the NHL and that's a big IF it won't for at minimum four years. From that timeline Hall and Eberle's contracts will almost be finished so relax on the trade. It's not a bad trade, it's a warm body that can maybe be a spark plug to get other guys going.

It's not the end of the world, but the player in question isn't of NHL caliber. It's exaggerating but saying that Joey Moss for a 4th round pick means nothing. A 4th rounder is still worth something. A fringe NHLer that would have been put on waivers for a 4th rounder is terrible.

The fact is, Brown can't play hockey, he can only hit and fight. I thought we wanted a winning hockey team. Brown will get into fights, hit guys, take penalties, but he won't help score goals, play defence, or win games.

It's not the end of the world, but the player in question isn't of NHL caliber. It's exaggerating but saying that Joey Moss for a 4th round pick means nothing. A 4th rounder is still worth something. A fringe NHLer that would have been put on waivers for a 4th rounder is terrible.

The fact is, Brown can't play hockey, he can only hit and fight. I thought we wanted a winning hockey team. Brown will get into fights, hit guys, take penalties, but he won't help score goals, play defence, or win games.

Maybe so, to be honest, I don't know a lot about him. I've seen him in a couple Lefs games, and he just seemed like a goon, and a guy who goes for big hits. He didn't show me anything offensively, and put himelf out of position to make a couple big hits on the other side.

I see 4th liner on a bad team, doesn't get points, get outshot like crazy, even compared to his teammates. So yeah, not pleased at all. If you take away fighting, and big hits (which both don't have impact on winning), what exactly does he bring?

I was talking to a buddy of mine who is a big leafs fan and he was telling me how he wished that they would give Brown some more minutes because of the energy that he brings to the table. We could certainly use some guys who bring it every shift. I don't think it's too much of a risk but we could have had Sestito for nothing less than a week ago and that would have been my preferred move but that's just me.

Solid pickup for the Oilers, really like the way Tambellini is managing the team. Always trying to pick up team guys who give it their all every night and are good team mates. We need more of that in our lineup. This can also free up Eager a little bit so he doesn't have to worry about answering the bell (not that he has been).

I see a consistent trend of bringing in players with a positive attitude, and that boads well for the future.

PS - Anyone who is still holding onto hope that we "should" be making the playoffs this year obviously hasn't watched enough hockey. Teams make the playoffs based on merit and consistency, both of which the young Oilers are sadly lacking. I'd be very happy if they finished 10th in the west, and the way they've played up until now that's a pretty big if.

I'm confused are you agreeing with me or asking me to defend Tambo. Because I can't. He has stood pat and just crossed his fingers hoping the prospects will automatically fill the roles on the club that need filling. If he can't get anything done this offseason he should be fired before September rolls around. With MacT back in the fold as part of the management team and right below Tambo he should feel the pressure. Tambo cannot continue to draft and hope that the prospects can develop quickly enough to fill the roles on this team.

A huge turning point for this organization is when the Oilers acquired Kevin McClelland and Marty McSorley. I wonder how many folks were loathing trading the soft albeit talented Tom Rolston for McClelland? How many goals is McClelland going to score?

Oiler Draft history on 4th round picks, I would be okay trading any one of these guys for Mike Brown, save maybe Vande Velde so relax on the whole 4th round pick is an asset thing. It is not much of one.

I made a comment earlier about taking a sleeper in the third, it was of course sarcasm. Sleeper picks are extremely rare, the idea the by giving up a 4th round pick the has a .02% chance of becoming a Zetterberg is ridiculous. You have the same chance of finding one ion any of your other late rounds. Do you really think Detroit new the players they were getting when the drafted them late? They got lucky, it was not their development strategy, it was luck pure luck the these guys turned out to be the players they are. Brown may be an NHL castoff, but he can be an effective NHL player. I am willing to give him a shot, what is he going to do make the Oilers worse? Maybe Hall won't have any more "leg injuries" if there is guy on the bench that will have his back.

I mean, pretty arbitrary, but I'm sure you could go through every team in the league and pick out 3 or 4 players on bottom 6 that would likely be an improvement over Mike Brown.

What's more interesting is players that were placed on waivers this year that would be an improvement over Brown, or veterans in the AHL that would be an improvment over Brown. If all we can say that Brown is an improvement over Hordichuk, it means nothing, since Hordichuk isn't even in the NHL anymore.

My bad, I was too vauge, name 6 of them that play 10min a night that you could trade for with just a 3/4 round pick....

...McClelland was acquired waaay before the instigator rule too Mfdcap10...dunderheads(they were a good thing then) like he and others were all the rage back in the day and every contender had to have their 'skills' to get sh!t done...it was in fact Kevins' goal on the Island to beat the dreaded Islanders one nil in a playoff match that actually turned this franchise into the dynsty it became imo...yup a goal from secondary goonage... Mac, Marty and Sammy were all the ones who complimented the Linsmans Lowes Buchbergers and Donny Jacksons of our squad...a different era to be sure but if Mike Brown can upgrade the Hordichuk then so be it...
but further... nobody should 'applaud' our GM for making this trade...it's one of the last ditch efforts of a lame duck walking dead GM.

Linesman feisty..... Lowe a good mix of positional play and toughness..... Bucky tough..... Don Jackson tough as nails.

What this team needs is two lines that put the fear into other teams, a physical line that can check, bang, and chip in, and a fourth line to bang and put fear into other teams. It's all about balance.

The oilers dearly need a line that hits everything that moves. Now the oilers need another banger to go with Eager and Brownie. Maybe Chris Nilan, Steve Ott, hell even Rafi if we could rehabilitate him.

When the games get to the point you're fighting for every inch of ice, you need to fight for it or else get chewed up and spit out. Work ethic breeds work ethic. Otherwise it's just the blind leading the blind. If the softies have no one to come to their aid, they'll just disappear until the next game when the going might not be so tough.